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By the Numbers: Consistency is key for Roush Fenway, JGR

At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, history reflects winner is often decided in the final laps

Michigan International Speedway is a 2-mile D-shaped oval with 18 degrees banking in the turns. The frontstretch is 3,600 feet with 12 degrees banking; the backstretch is 2,242 feet with 5 degrees banking.

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1 -- Most common start position of 84 Michigan Winners, and it's happened 16 times. Front-row starters won 24 times (29 percent). Top-five starters won 52 of 84 (62 percent). Nearly 80 percent have started in the top 10 (66 of 84).

6 -- Last-lap passes at Michigan, the most recent by Mark Martin over Greg Biffle in June 2009.

6.6 -- Best average finish in the past 10 races at Michigan, held by Carl Edwards. Edwards has two wins and eight top-10s.

33 -- Drivers who have won a race at Michigan; 40 drivers have won a pole.

Very Interesting

123 -- Laps led by Denny Hamlin in June, 2010, the most laps led by a Michigan winner since Jeff Gordon led 143 in June 2001.

Side note: Jimmie Johnson has started in the top 10 in 11 of the past 12 Michigan races. In 19 starts, he has 9 top-five starts, but only two top-five finishes. Michigan is one of five tracks that he has not won at (Chicagoland, Homestead, Watkins Glen and Kentucky). He has led the most laps in four races.

Chase hopefuls:

Ninth -- Dale Earnhardt Jr's last win came at Michigan; he has two finishes better than 14th in the past six races.

1 -- Travis Kvapil is the only driver to win from the pole at Michigan, in 2007.

2 -- Best finish of a Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender at Michigan -- Kurt Busch in 2000.

6 -- Times thedriver who has led the most laps at Michigan hasn't won, including the past five.

7.6 -- Average starting position of Michigan winners.

11 -- Michigan races won from a top-12 starting position; the past three have been won from the 10-12 starting positions.

Very Interesting:

154.044 -- Average speed of Brendan Gaughan during his win at Michigan in 2003, the fastest race in the history of the Truck Series.

Side note: Kyle Busch has started and finished in the top 10 in all five of his races at Michigan; he finished second, three times.

Side note: Todd Bodine started in the top 10 in his past four races at MIS.

Side note: Ron Hornaday finished on the lead lap in the past five races at MIS

Side note: David Starr has been running at the finish in the past nine races at MIS.

Related: Rule change announced for team fuel handlers | RaceBuddy live at noon ET Saturday

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a 2.71-mile road course with 14 turns and has played host to the Nationwide Series since its inaugural Canada race in 2007. The track sits on a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River. It was named after the late Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, father of 1997 Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

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3 -- Past races that the winner started in the top-six at Montreal.

4 -- Time the final lead change took place with seven laps or less to go at Montreal; in three of the four races, the final lead change took place with two laps or less to go.

11 -- Drivers who competed in all four Nationwide races at Montreal

Side note: Only three Series eligible drivers competed in all four races: Jason Leffler, Mike Wallace and Steve Wallace.

30 -- Furthest back starting position of a road-course winner -- Kevin Harvick at Montreal in 2007 and Morgan Shepherd at Road Atlanta in 1987.

96 -- Drivers who competed in the four races in Montreal; 20 of the 96 made there Series debut in a race at Montreal.

Very interesting:

2 -- Poles won by Marcos Ambrose in the past two races at Montreal; Ambrose was passed for the final lead change in two of the four races.

Side note: Two of the four Montreal races were won by ringers, including Ambrose; all four poles were won by ringers.

Trending:

Aric Almiorla has five consecutive top-10 finishes and ranks second in points earned over the past six races to leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Justin Allgaier has just two top-10 finishes in the past six races.

Michael Annett finished in the top-15 in nine of the past 12 races, including all five of his top-10 finishes in 2011.

Trevor Bayne finished ninth at Watkins Glen; his third road course top-10 finish in five starts. He has just two top-10 finishes in the past eight races (ninth at Nashville and Watkins Glen).

Carl Edwards has top-two finishes in 11 of his 22 races this season.

Michael McDowell finished in the top-12 in all four of his starts this season; he led 66 laps in 2011, which is over eight times as many laps led in four races as he had in his 72 prior starts before this season.

Joe Nemechek finished in the top-12 in four of his past five starts; his worst finish in the five race streak is 16th at Iowa.

Danica Patrick finished in the top-10 in three of her past four starts, including a career-best finish of fourth at Las Vegas. She has led 18 laps in her Nationwide career; the most laps led by a women in the Series is 22 by Patty Moise who raced in 133 times.

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